The Complete Dr Phibes: The Abominable Dr. Phibes/Dr. Phibes Rises Again – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: UK, 1971 (The Abominable Dr. Phibes), UK, 1972 (Dr. Phibes Rises Again)
Director: Robert Fuest (Both Films)
Cast: Vincent Price, Joseph Cotten, Virginia North, Terry-Thomas, Sean Bury, Susan Travers (The Abominable Dr. Phibes), Vincent Price, Robert Quarry, Valli Kemp, Hugh Griffith, John Thaw, Keith Buckley, Lewis Fiander, Gerald Sim, Milton Reid (Dr. Phibes Rises Again)

Release Date: June 16th, 2014
Approximate running times: 94 Minutes 39 Seconds (The Abominable Dr. Phibes), 89 Minutes 28 Seconds (Dr. Phibes Rises Again)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English (Both Films)
Subtitles: English SDH (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: OOP

"Horror legend Vincent Price (The Fall of the House of Usher, Theatre of Blood) is Dr. Phibes, former musician, current murderer. Seeking revenge from the medical staff that left his wife for dead, he sets about knocking them off one-by-one in a series of elaborate murders based upon a Ten Plagues of Egypt. Death by bats, by boils, by blood and more await the nurse and surgeons who failed to save the life of the beloved Victoria Regina Phibes!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

"The abominable Dr. Phibes is back - and still looking to resurrect his beloved wife, Victoria. His quest takes him to Egypt in search of a Pharaoh's tomb and the Rivers of Life that will bring her back to him.

The Egyptian setting provides Dr. Phibes Rises Again with an air of adventure - the film paying affectionate if slightly camp homage to the cliffhanger serials of the 1930s and the ripping yarns of H. Rider Haggard." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (The Abominable Dr. Phibes), 4/5 (Dr. Phibes Rises Again)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "transferred from original film elements by MGM".

The Abominable Dr. Phibes comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 30.2 GB

Feature: 26 GB

Dr. Phibes Rises Again comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 28.3 GB

Feature: 24.5 GB

Outside of some very minor instances of print debris, the sources used for both films' transfers are in great shape. Colors are nicely saturated, flesh tones look correct, image clarity is good, and black levels and compression look strong throughout.

Audio: 4/5

Each film comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD Mono mix in English, and removable English SDH subtitles for each film have also been included with this release. Both audio tracks are in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, things are limited, range-wise.

Extras:

Extras for The Abominable Dr. Phibes include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Dr. Phibes and the Gentlemen (13 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with screenwriter/director Robert Fuest and moderator Marcus Hearn, and an audio commentary with screenwriter William Goldstein and his son Damien.

Extras for Dr. Phibes Rises Again include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with Vincent Price biographer David Del Valle titled The Doctor Will See You Now (8 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with Victoria Price titled Daughter of Phibes (13 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with film critic and author Tim Lucas.

Other extras include reversible cover art and a 100-ppage booklet with an essay written by Julian Upton, an essay written by Martin Jones, an essay written by Justin Humphreys, an essay written by Jonny Trunk, on-set recollections of Caroline Munro, an interview with Tim Burton, an interview with publicist Milton Moritz, and original archive stills.

Summary:

Nearing the end of his lengthy partnership with AIP (American International Pictures), Vincent Price would make a pair of pulp-inspired horror films, The Abominable Dr. Phibes and Dr. Phibes Rises Again. And though he was a staple of the horror genre, Vincent Price was not fond of onscreen violence, which by the early 1970s had become increasingly graphic. So, not wanting to give up his leading man status just yet, he would find a satisfying compromise violence-wise in regard to the Phibes films. There will be lots of death depicted onscreen in these films; it is just done in a more tongue-in-cheek than grotesque way.

Where The Abominable Dr. Phibes revolves around Phibe getting his revenge. Dr. Phibes Rises Again is more focused on him actually bringing his beloved wife back to life. Both films have an ample amount of dead bodies on display. Also, all of the kill sequences are inventive and well executed. Also, all of the deaths in The Abominable Dr. Phibes bear a strong resemblance to the ten plagues of Egypt.

Though these films are reportedly set in the 1930s, they have an otherworldly quality that sets them apart from anything you have seen before or are likely to see in a film ever again. The production value on these two films is first-rate, as both films are overflowing with a tremendous amount of Art Deco style. From a visual stand point, these films are virtual feats for the eyes, which are reinforced by Robert Fuest’s rock-solid direction and Vincent Price’s extraordinary performance, which easily ranks among his best work as an actor.

Besides dealing with subject matter rooted in the macabre, these two films also have another strong thread running throughout them, and that is a love story. The heart and soul of these two films is Dr. Phibes' search for the thing that will bring his beloved wife back to life.

Though these films are anchored by Vincent Price’s aforementioned performance, one must not overlook the contributions of the rest of the cast. At the top of this list are the two actresses Virginia North and Valli Kemp, who portrayed Dr. Phibes' assistant, a beautiful mute named Vulnavia. A few other standout performances include Joseph Cotton in the role of one of the nine doctors responsible for Phibes' wife’s death and Robert Quarry in the role of Darrus Biederbeck, a man looking for the same thing that Phibes seeks.

Out of these two films, The Abominable Dr. Phibes is, of course, the stronger of the two. And though Dr. Phibes Rises Again has the vibe of a sequel being rushed into production too soon, the result is a very entertaining film that makes an excellent companion piece.

Arrow Video gives the Dr. Phibes films strong audio/video presentations and a wealth of informative extras, recommended.

Note: Though this release is OOP, Arrow Video has released these two films separately.

Written by Michael Den Boer